Under-14 Boys,Girls win Tennis Championship

Balasore, December 24(Odisha.in) The seeded players of Under-14 Boys and Girls had an easy win in the main draw (singles) of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) Championship Tournament held at Modern Public School ground in Balasore, on Monday.

While U-14 (boys) top seed Surya Pawan of Andhra Pradesh beat Rohan Kamani of West Bengal at 6-1 and 6-0, second seed Anshu Bhuyan of Orissa beat Akshat Vijay of West Bengal at 7-5 and 7-5.

In U-14 (girls) singles while K Ruth Selena of AP beat Ahana Benerjee of WB at 6-2 and 7-5, Ahana Mohanti of Orissa was defeated by Adrita Benerjee of West Bengal at 1-6 and 2-6. Similarly, TG Jenani of TN was crashed out by Ankita of TN at 2-6 and 4-6.

Speaking on this occasion, Secretary of Tourism Department and Orissa Tennis Association (OTA) Asit Tripaty said that tennis has seen a sea change in Orissa. “Now-a-day, more and more children are interested for this sport. It has become the second popular sport after football as 215 countries play tennis,” he said.

“The main aim to organize the tournament in Balasore is to encourage local talents and make their focus clear for the sport. Through such events local players can get an opportunity to play with outsiders and develop their skills,” Tripathy said.

The OTA secretary too appreciated Balasore Collector for his active involvement in the tournament. “Perhaps he is the first collector who doesn’t play tennis but have ample interest to organize such a great event,” he said besides tanking the authorities of Modern Public School for providing all infrastructures available, for the tournament.